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Every UCI Women’s WorldTour race ranked: From the Tour de France to the Tour of Chongming Island
Last week, we ranked all 30+ races on the men’s UCI WorldTour calendar. Now, it’s time for the Women’s WorldTour to face the same treatment.
The women’s selection of racing takes them across the globe from China to the UAE, from Belgium to Spain. In total, there are 27 races on offer. Some names will stand out. Of course, the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix shine among the line-up. But, there are far more races than that. The Women’s WorldTour has grown exponentially within the past few years.
However, the women’s calendar is – if anything – more eclectic than the men’s. Be prepared for wild sponsorship titles, strange scheduling choices and plenty of Benelux one-day races. I’ve teased enough, let’s dive into our wholly unserious ranking.
The lower rankings
Tour of Chongming Island
Where is Chongming Island? What is a Chongming? What is an Island?
Tour of Guangxi
Fair play, they persevered here. The Tour of Guangxi sticks out as the most underhyped men’s and women’s race.
Santos Tour Down Under
Time zones, advertising bombardment and run-of-the-mill racing. I am not a fan.
Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race
The name. I can’t look past the name.
Miron Ronde van Drenthe
I can’t get behind a flat classic tailor-made for the sprinters. At least throw in a couple of hills or cobble sectors. Heck, make the riders get off with 5km to go and dance the macarena 3 times before getting back on the bike. (VAMberg erasure, yellow card – Ed.)
Classic Brugge-De Panne
This ticks the box for a one-day sprinter’s classic with the added hazard of echelons. Without wind, this race is humdrum.
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas
Predictable racing in the past couple of years has made the women’s lap around Burgos rather vapid.
Tour de Suisse Women
Well, well, well. It’s Swiss, it’s swish, it’s…decent.
Ford RideLondon Classique
A sprint finish in Harlow? Be for real.
Itzulia Women
Ah yes, the SD Worx race. You know they’ve won every stage of this, right?
Gent-Wevelgem In Flanders Fields
This is a yo-yo. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s a little uninspiring.
Tour of Britain Women
If this race was a little more adventurous with the parcours, it would be moved up a couple of pegs.
La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
The women’s hill-climb world championships.
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes
The men’s race is fine. The women’s race is fine. A mid-table result is inevitable.
Tour de Romandie Féminin
This edges out the other Swiss race. The Tour de Romandie is a staple in the women’s calendar. It provides a testing week of racing around some of Europe’s most stunning scenery.
Classic Lorient Agglomération – Trophée CERATIZIT
This is unironic. The name is long, but this race is rich and creamy like a Camembert. That’s not a Breton cheese, is it?
UAE Tour Women
Irony aside, the UAE Tour Women provides some much-needed early-season mountain action on the women’s calendar. However, Jebel Hafeet can’t save the three non-stages that weigh down this race.
10. Simac Ladies Tour
Some hearty Benelux racing is always necessary. A week-long Classic, the Simac Ladies Tour serves up a calypso of hills, sprints and time-trials. The late October placement on the calendar is a little quirky, but it still manages to stick out, even if the peloton is already in holiday mode.
It’s just what we need in the Women’s WorldTour. Plus, it’s one of the few races at which Demi Vollering has a chance of missing the podium.
9. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is like opening the first door on an advent calendar. When it rolls around, you know you’re in the festive season. The cobbles come back in style at Omloop. The Muur van Gerardsbergen is out in full force, the top riders are back in the saddle after the off-season. You are guaranteed a proper battle when it comes to this Flemish amuse-bouche.
8. Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition
The women’s race does Amstel Gold correctly. They take on the old Cauberg-style finale. For that, this feels like an improved version of the men’s race. Perhaps my judgement is clouded by recency bias because the 2024 race was a top-tier spectacle. However, Amstel Gold remains the most under-appreciated day in the Ardennes cycle.
7. Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Comune di Cittiglio
Standing as its own entity, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda is a special jewel in the women’s calendar. The race also has the pride of not having an adjoined men’s race. This is important in establishing a unique identity in the sport. In this case, the Trofeo Binda was a trailblazer in women’s racing.
It’s not all about this narrative, however. The profile through the Lombardy landscape makes for unpredictable and explosive racing. An eclectic hall of honour only proves that, with winners including Marianne Vos, Elisa Balsamo and Coryn Rivera.
6. Giro d’Italia Women
The old lady of the women’s Grand Tour field – the Giro d’Italia Women (formerly known as the Giro d’Italia Femminile, Giro Rosa and Giro Donne) is as chaotic as you’d imagine. The race does propose some of the toughest climbing on the Women’s WorldTour. For that, the Giro gains some brownie points. However, the presentation of the race leaves a lot to be desired. I am begging for this race to be broadcast more widely. I can’t excuse that. Hopefully with an existential redrawing of the brand identity this year as men’s race organiser RCS takes over, the race can rival the Grand Tours that slot in higher on this list.
5. Vuelta España Femenina
The Vuelta Femenina is certainly the biggest grower in the past year. After its bulking season, the women’s Vuelta has become a Grand Tour worthy of the title. Mountain stages, punchy paint-by-numbers Vuelta kickers and a team time-trial have been added in to make for a meaty stage race. Unexpected twists and turns have only made this race more captivating with time.
4. Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift
A newcomer to the women’s Classics calendar, it’s been a wild ride for the women’s Paris-Roubaix. The prestige of the race often overshadows the race itself, but the organisers don’t scrimp on including the mythical pavé sectors and novelties of the men’s race.
The past two editions have been crackerjack races, especially Alison Jackson’s breakaway victory in 2023. There are few races on the Women’s WorldTour worthy of a victory dance.
3. Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour des Flandres
Like the men’s race, the Ronde van Vlaanderen is a whopper of a race. The atmosphere and warm hospitality make this the real pinnacle in the Flemish calendar. The full depth of the Flanders mystique is honoured, with the inclusion of all the headline cobble climbs.
An A-List roll of honour props up this race’s classification on this list.
2. Strade Bianche Donne
Strade BIanche is a special day. The gravel sterrata of Strade Bianche throw up some of the wildest storylines in the women’s cycling calendar. My god, there was a horse cameo in 2023. That’s peak cycling.
RCS, if you’re reading, please give this race a day of its own. The early start is inconvenient to say the least.
1. Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
The Tour de France Femmes [avec Zwift] truly feels like the pinnacle in terms of prestige and pomp.
It might be the shiny new toy, but the Tour de France Femmes is a step in the right direction for women’s Grand Tour racing. In recent years we have had interesting routes, gravel, the Tourmalet and soon we will have a foreign Grand Départ and a visit to Alpe d’Huez. This feels like the real deal.
The Tour de France Femmes has garnered attraction and spectacle unlike any other women’s race. The competitive element has matched up to this status too. Long may we #WatchTheFemmes.
We passed the same judgement on the men’s UCI WorldTour calendar last week.
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